Commodore Perry teachers and school board approved a five-year teachers contract on Monday after seven months of negotiations.

"You can never say (negotiations) go smoothly, but they were successful," said head negotiator Carol McCullough.

Teachers voted unanimously on the contract's ratification, Mrs. McCullough said.

She added that board President Jeff Landfried is a "top-notch board member."

"We go back a long way, and I think we got a good contract," she said.

The average teacher salary increase is 3.8 percent, said Superintendent Oliver Rodax, and coaches and advisers will get a 3 percent increase in salary each year.

Rodax said he thought negotiations went well.

The salary for a starting teacher went from $30,000 to $30,500. The salary will go up to $31,000 in the second year of the contract, stay the same the third year, then go up to $31,500 in the fourth year and $32,000 in the fifth year, Rodax said.

The highest teacher's salary under the new contract is $52,743, Rodax said.

Graduate incentives went up from $125 a credit hour to $150 for master's degree work and permanent certification. Life insurance increased from $35,000 to $40,000, Rodax said.

Teachers also got an improvement in dental benefits and the mentor teacher rate, for teachers acting as mentors to new hires, went from $300 an inductee to $400.

Unused sick day reimbursement at retirement went from $36 a day for a maximum of 150 days to $40 for the first 100 days and $42 for the next 50 days, Rodax said.

Also added to the contract were 11 minutes of instructional time, language changes and participation in the Western Pennsylvania Schools Healthcare Consortium, Rodax said.